Weekly Chat 11/23

Here's the latest Weekly Chat - home to discussions about ttc, BFPs, Cautiously Optimistic Pregnancies and Rainbow Babes as well as all sorts of off-topic chatter; the place where you can get to know your fellow rpl superheros and laugh. If you need support, are going through a crisis or loss, or have a specific question to ask the membership, please post a new thread so you can get the attention you need. But if you are looking for conversation - this is your place.

Everyone is welcome, but do be aware that we discuss the challenges of parenting, provide support for those pregnant, cheer on 2ww and celebrate BFPs here on this thread as well as talk about real life pressures including kids. We've had ongoing conversation on buying and letting go of cribs, and I think we've established that as much as we look forward to morning sickness as a good sign, going through it can be utter misery and venting is okay. If you're too raw from a recent loss (and goodness knows, all of us have been there), know that we would be delighted to have you join in whenever you're ready.

I'm going to post my roll call below and will do the best I can to keep it updated; let me know if you have suggestions on how to make this chart better (believe it or not it is formated with tabs and columns that just refuse to actualize). Also, the list has gotten quite long and, in some cases, out of date - part of this is because I've wanted to be as inclusive as possible, the list is a bit overwhelming. So, I've started to cull the list based on my highly-questionable memory. If you're contributing occasionally but regularly, I'll keep you on, but if we haven't heard from you in months, then I'll suspect you've moved on. Again, everyone is welcome: If you're on the roll call and you want to stay, speak up and join the conversation. Newcomers - jump in and introduce yourself!

Big MIL fail here. She just called and I answered the phone and we had a lovely chat and somewhere in the midst of it, she asked if L had gotten the dvd and coloring book she sent and uh, yea, I opened them (you open her mail? Why, yes, I open my five-year-old's mail) and put them aside and, um, promptly forgot about them. (F**K) Because, in all honesty, L is like a dog on a bone when she wants something (like watching a new movie) and she's been sick (and whiney and bratty) and I've been doing a million things and I was saving it for another time. And (F**K) I forgot about it. Only for five days, but still.

(I was worse when the 10-year-old was here. She'd announce that Lydia had a package and would give it to her to open).

Am I terrible? I can't be the only one who holds off on treats until they have a strategic use?

That said, I stupidly let A have the flutophone someone sent a couple months ago... I knew she would love it and I felt bad that E was taking up all my attention. Now I would love to clobber the sender with the flutophone. Totally reasonable to intercept little kids' packages.

Rachel- yes, I'd leave B on the Similac if she is doing ok on it and I'd switch S. We started J on Goodstart but when dh's hours got cut and we got WIC we switched him to Enfamil because they had he WIC contract. Once he was on solids we'd run out of formula and I'd buy Goodstart and he went back and forth seamlessly. As Becky said, the proteins are broken down more in some formulas vs others. If you check the ingredients, you'll see whey protein. It's the first ingredient in Goodstart and in the first few in Enfamil. It makes a big difference for a sensitive tummy. Similac constipated ods and gave de horrid diarrhea. Weird. Anyway, you can use up the Similac you have remaining for B and get something else for S. Fwiw from a very experienced formula feeder, I would not switch to one of those formulas for allergies or super sensitive kids. Not now. Try the other brands because that other stuff is super, super expensive and highly unlikely to be necessary. If the other brands are no better you can consider soy or a hyper allergenic formula but most parents won't need to do that.

Becky- has your dh worked in a union environment before? Dollars to donuts this is a union boss thing. My dh is union at USPS and the shit they get away with....and believe me, they can and will fire him too. Not for looking at the book. They'll come up with another "reason," something that sounds legit. On the flip side, once he is "in" if they like him he can do about anything and not get fired unless the wrong person doesn't like him. My dh is going to be fired for "refusing" to work when in reality he calls every week begging for hours. It's all because someone doesn't like him whereas one if the regular carriers has a prescription pill drug addiction, was caught peeing behind an apt complex dumpster, smokes while delivering mail, and had been in three accidents, one where he hit the side of the USPS building. All is/was covered up for him because he is "in" meaning it is hard to fire him and no one wants to deal with the red tape. All of his infractions state they result in termination. My dh is just a "temp" though he has been there for 5 years and come hell or high water this man is going to fire him. Becky, I hate unions. They are not there to protect workers or consumers, they are there to play silly games and politics and worse yet, it never matters how hard or how little you work. You don't get more for doing well or
Less for doing nothing. And safety doesn't matter. I wish I would have known this was a union job. I'd have told you to tell him NOT to take it. Now blow a whistle if you can....

So I don't want to get into everything that happened... maybe when (if?) I have an opportunity to use the laptop. But I do want to share that DH and I have decided that we do want #3 and we will do whatever it takes to make it happen. As soon as possible, meaning after af returns and we can resume ttc. We love our two girls so much... E was so worth going thru rpl hell. We know #3 will be worth it too.